UNRWA, the main U.N. agency aiding the Palestinians, said on Thursday it had temporarily closed its headquarters in east Jerusalem for the safety of its staff after weeks of attacks that caused parts of the building to catch fire.
“Tonight, Israeli residents set fires twice around the UNRWA headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem,” UNRWA leader Philippe Lazzarini said. on social media. Mr. Lazzarini said the fire caused severe damage to the outdoor areas of the compound but that no UNRWA or other UN agency staff were injured. He added that some workers “had to put out the fire themselves because it took a while for Israeli fire extinguishers and police to show up.”
The attack two days later put the lives of UN staff at “serious risk” Protesters throwing stones Mr. Lazzarini said.
Israeli settlers have been protesting for months calling for the closure of UNRWA. “Israeli extremists have repeatedly threatened our employees with firearms,” Lazzarini said in a social media post on Thursday. He added that under international law, Israel “has a responsibility as the occupying power to ensure that United Nations personnel and facilities are protected at all times.”
Many Israeli officials have called for years to dismantle UNRWA, and earlier this year the agency lost funding from some donors Israel charges more than a dozen of its employees Participated in the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel. independent review An investigation commissioned by the United Nations and released in April found that Israel had provided no evidence to support its further accusations that many UNRWA staff members were members of terrorist groups.
